Weight loss: What happens when you reach a plateau?
We all probably get very excited about embarking on a new task or project as we look forward to achieving laudable feats. One’s level of excitement may, however, be punctured when he/she reaches a point where nothing seems to be moving. This scenario can be the case whereby someone on a weight-loss routine suddenly stops seeing any realistic change (drop) in body weight after what was actualized within the first few weeks. It is in such instances that one is said to have reached a plateau. So, if you are considering getting on with a weight loss routine or you seem frustrated about not making much progress, it may be high time you knew (more) about what weight loss plateau really means. Such knowledge will help prepare your mind for what you should expect in the course of doing your routine. In light of this, we shall extensively discuss weight loss plateau and how one can beat it to continue on a progressive/productive weight loss.
What you need to know about weight loss plateau
One thing you need to understand is that encountering a plateau while on a weight loss program does not necessarily mean you’re doing something wrong. It is a normal process, and it occurs due to the body mechanism trying to ensure that metabolic balance is maintained. Therefore, you should fret upon observing no meaningful change on the (weight) scale reading after doing those exercises and keeping to a healthy, weight loss dietary compliance.
Hinting further at the weight-loss plateau; your body won’t give a response to the initial loss of weight recorded in the first few weeks. This loss of weight is basically down to losing some muscles along with the fat that is being burned, even as normal metabolism is appreciably sustained. But once it appears like your body weight has reached some sort of biological threshold, it (that is, your body) acts to prevent more decline in body weight. At this point, your metabolic rate becomes slower and so will the number of calories you burn reduce significantly. You may envisage your body automatically triggering a kind of signal upon sensing danger – even though no real danger is in sight – and then attempting to keep the weight at a realistic range. And, in the instance where nothing is immediately done about it, a weight loss plateau can remain for months. This is why some persons get to lose interest in their weight loss routine after hitting a plateau; it takes a lot of discipline to continue at that point, by the way.
Beating weight-loss plateau
Though reaching a plateau doesn’t mean all your efforts toward losing weight have gone up in the smoke, it may only tell one thing – the need to do some things differently. You will have to consider taking different approaches to your weight loss programs, and also make certain lifestyle tweaks. By this, you should be able to go past the weight-loss plateau you’re experiencing to achieve your desired weight-loss objective. So, what must you do to beat the weight-loss plateau? – The ensuing discussion provides insight/answers.
Embrace food journaling
To ensure good trackability of your caloric consumption, you may need to start a food journal. You will get to regularly record the type of foods, and the number of calories you consume. This would enable you to identify whatever lapses – or indulgences – may be associated with your food intake. More so, with a good food journal, you can easily know when your weight starts to decline steadily again as you approach weight loss differently. You should bear in mind that food journaling ought to be a vital aspect of your weight-loss journey; it shouldn’t be something you leave till when you encounter a (Weight-loss) plateau.
Change of exercise routine
Talking about doing things differently; the very first aspect you should consider touching on is your exercise routine. You can either switch the exercises completely or just increase the intensity; it’s all making some needful adjustments. For instance, if all you have been doing is taking a walk for some distance before, you can consider going on a run at a considerable speed after reaching a plateau. More so, you can start having a mix of exercises – for example, a combination of walking, swimming, and resistance training. Resistance training which aids in the development and strengthening is especially helpful in this regard. With the muscles becoming more active, you can expect to burn more calories thus advancing the actualization of your weight loss goal. Again, you should consider the length of time you get involved in different exercise routines per week, and think about increasing therewith.
Make sure you’re sticking to a healthy eating habit
You may have been following a healthy dietary plan but one cannot rule out the fact that you might have left things to chance on some occasions. Hence, you should check to see if there had been any lapse and make sure that you eat healthily always. Moreover, you may need to bring some changes to your cooking or general food intake once you reach a plateau. This is the period you should try to significantly reduce the intake of high-fat foods, replacing them with healthier choices – whole grains, veggies, fruits, lean protein, etc. You should also be careful not to indulge in eating late into the night, and do check your meal portion size – you can afford to reduce it a little bit during your plateau experience.
Learn to manage stress
More often than not, we get involved in various activities that leave us stressed without us even realizing it. Weight-loss plateau may yet be an indication that you need to check your stress level. As it were, stress has been associated with obesity so there is a high tendency that it (stress) would reduce the rate at which weight loss occurs. To this end, you should take time to implement various stress management practices – for example, doing diaphragmatic breathing exercises, regular relaxation, getting enough sleep, and so on. It is important to buttress here that having quality sleep for about 7 – 9 hours, especially at night can help you overcome the weight-loss plateau to some extent.
References
Thomas, DM, Martin, CK Redman, LM, et al. (2014). Effect of dietary adherence on the body weight plateau: A mathematical model incorporating intermittent compliance with energy intake prescription1–3 Am J Clin Nutr 100:787–95
Karelis, A, Lavoie, ME, Fontaine, J, et al. (2010). Anthropometric, metabolic, dietary and psychosocial profiles of underreporters of energy intake: a doubly labeled water study among overweight/obese postmenopausal women—a Montreal Ottawa New Emerging Team study. Eur J Clin Nutr 64:68–74.
Papandreou, C, Bulló, M, Díaz-López, A, et al. (2020) High sleep variability predicts a blunted weight loss response and short sleep duration a reduced decrease in waist circumference in the PREDIMED-Plus Trial. Int J Obes 44:330–339.
Schwartz, A, and Doucet, E. (2010). Relative changes in resting energy expenditure during weight loss: a systematic review. Obesity reviews: An official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 11(7), 531–547.
Block, JP, Condon, SK, Kleinman, K, Mullen, J, et al. (2013). Consumers' estimation of calorie content at fast food restaurants: cross sectional observational study. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 346, f2907.
Cox, TL, Krukowski, R, Love, SJ, et al. (2013). Stress management-augmented behavioral weight loss intervention for African American women: a pilot, randomized controlled trial. Health education & behavior: The official publication of the Society for Public Health Education, 40(1), 78–87.
Buxton, OM, Cain, SW, O'Connor, SP, et al. (2012). Adverse metabolic consequences in humans of prolonged sleep restriction combined with circadian disruption. Science translational medicine, 4(129), 129ra43.